Eat less and be fit as a fiddle

A study by Brigham Young University’s professor Larry Tucker followed 192 middle-aged women for three years and tracked information on lifestyle, health and eating habits. Their analysis revealed that women who did not become more restrained in their eating habits, were 138 per cent more likely to put on 3 kg or more.
Lance Davidson, a research fellow at Columbia University’s Obesity Research Centre, said the findings highlight an important principle of weight management, because the body’s energy requirements progressively decline with age and energy intake must mirror that decrease or weight gain occurs.
Dr Tucker’s observation that women who practice restrained eating, avoid the significant weight gain commonly observed in middle age is an important health message.
Tucker says watching what you eat is not about physical appearance – it’s a direct investment in your health. Given the environmental circumstances, not practising restraint is essentially a guarantee of failure.